The Seven Secrets To Effective Time Management And Productivity

Have you ever wondered why some people just seem to get so much done, and yet they have the same number of seconds in each day compared to everyone else? Are you involved in running an online or offline business and are sinking under a mountain of tasks and unresolved ideas? Read on to discover how you can become more focused and effective in your business.

Introduction

In this article I will be revealing some of the tactics I use to maximize my time effectively, and increase my ability to be productive.

Time management and productivity are arguably the key skills any business needs to develop and maintain its competitive advantage: there are 86,400 seconds in every day, and each business - the employers, employees and outsourcing team, should all buy into how important effective productivity and time management are.

Before I continue, let me ask you this: Why is it that one person seems able to do four times as much as another, and in half the time?

What 'secrets' do successful people employ in order to maximize their focus and manage their time so easily? And how do they maintain their focus when there are endless ways to become distracted with modern communications?

I'll share with you my 7 secrets by way of answering this question, in the context of what I do in my business. By no means are these the only strategies I use, but they are amongst the best I've found to date.

Secret 1: Discover your most productive 3 hours in each day

This secret does what it says on the tin: in short, there are only a certain number of hours each day when your brain is operating in its most harmonious fashion. Without going into the reasons why, the main take-away here is that you need to find that time, and work on your most important, core parts of your business during those hours, free from interruption and distraction.

A good way to think of the time you have in each day is like a jar, which you fill with stones; the larger the stone, the more important the item.

If you run a business, you are your own boss. Whilst this sounds like true freedom, with it there comes a responsibility: You are in charge of your income production, and the ultimate success or failure of your business, no one else is.

So, fill your first three hours of each day with your most important business-building activities. Usually these will be aspects of the business to do with creation rather than maintenance (though this is not a strict rule, more an observation).

Putting your biggest 'stones' in the jar first might mean that you don't have so much time to do other tasks, but this is the whole point. The less important tasks can be left until later, and if you find there are always a number or type of tasks that tend to be neglected, or poorly done as a consequence, then these are the very things that you should look to be delegating to others in your team.

If you run a home-based business, then it's quite likely you might be operating alone, or perhaps with a partner. In this case, you should be looking to outsource those other tasks to people who can manage those processes, leaving you to concentrate on the business-building essentials.

Secret 2: Power of Habit, Ritual and Systems

It has been estimated that over 90% of our brains are operating unconsciously - the remaining 10% is the part that we are aware of in our thoughts. This being the case, you must learn to take advantage of the power of the subconscious mind, and tap into its creativity and energy.

The single, biggest way to do this is through the power of habit and systems.

Habits are things that you physically do, every day, day in, day out, without even thinking about them. This is how you need to run the most important parts of your business.

Roughly speaking, it takes 30 days to form a new habit, and until that time it is quite hard to maintain this new type of activity. Over time, it becomes progressively easier, until in the end, you are able to do those particular tasks on autopilot.

At this point, the subconscious mind has completely taken over the running of those tasks. You no longer have to think about how to do them. They have become part of your daily ritual. Now you can shift your focus in to new areas of mastery, and so on. This is probably the single-most effective way to increase you productivity over time.

Note: there are NO short cuts!

What about systems? These are things that are done, either by others, machines or both, which again, run on autopilot.

The most famous and often-quoted example is that of McDonald's: an incredibly effective system and management set of processes was put into place so that anyone who was trained by the company properly could churn out fast food.

The most effective way to grow your business is though the development of systems which work together, allowing the whole 'show' to run, on autopilot. Think of systems, then, as an extension of the power of habit, but encompassing the whole business rather than just yourself.

Secret 3: Power of Place

In brief, you need to find different places to manage and produce different results. Let me give you an example.

If you are a writer, there's no way you are going to be able to work in an environment in which you are easily distracted. You must find a physical location which will help you single-mindedly focus on the task you are wanting to complete.

The trick here is that you can find *several places* for *several* tasks, and that way you can be far more productive in any given period of time.

Secret 4. Overcoming & Removing Mental Blocks

This secret is more to do with mindset than actions, but it's important to understand that you must, on a daily basis, be feeding and stretching your mind. Most successful business owners do this in several ways: through audio training, personal/life coaches, and other methods outside the scope of this article.

Above all, be open to the fact that you might well have some mental blocks, or perhaps even poor ways of thinking, which can have a massive impact on your ability to follow through on what you want to achieve.

This being the case, you need to be on an active, daily program of personal growth and development, identifying, challenging and changing negative thought patterns and immature ways of thinking. Whilst this isn't easy, if you class this as an essential part of your growth and value to others, you will ultimately see much more significance and consistency in what you can achieve.

Secret 5. Stilling the Mind

There are times of the day when decisions, sensory inputs and mental gymnastics can sometimes lead to overwhelm. Sleep is ultimately one way we leave behind yesterday's cacophony of information and experiences.

But you should also, again daily, practice being still. People will approach this in different ways, but whatever method you prefer, you should build it into your daily ritual so that you give your mind the maximum chance to restore its creative core and energy.

Secret 6. Finding Your Shower Moment

Related to the above is what many call the 'shower experience' or moment. Have you ever had an amazing idea when you've been in the shower? I know I have, and I've spoken to many people who can share similar stories.

The trick here is generate a sense of expectation that new, perhaps amazing ideas can come at any time, but again, you can tap into your unconscious mind more effectively if you program it to expect the shower moment to happen. Just make sure you have waterproof paper near by to scribble down your thoughts before they disappear once more into the blur!

Secret 7. Seeing into the Future

I've saved the best secret until last. Any entrepreneur will tell you that running their own business can be the most exciting and scary thing they ever do, and many would argue (and I agree) that it should surely be so.

Seeing into the future is really the idea that you are, in a real sense, able to shape the course of your life, in terms of what you do and what you want to get out of it.

There are many stories of people who have 'seen' themselves doing a certain task or action in the future, myself included.

If you have any unfulfilled dreams in your life, you can approach what you do with that in one of two ways: you can think that perhaps it's just a fanciful hope, or you can grow certainty within yourself that it can happen, and all that is required is for you to develop the right actions, habits and mindset to build towards that final goal.

Many motivational and success coaches will ascribe to this the term 'visualisation', but I prefer to use the term 'multi-sensory imagination

I cannot stress enough how important it is to get this the right way around.

Many business owners lose focus as to why they do what they are doing. They become stuck in the drudgery of the hard work that is needed in order to get to the end game, and all too often become blind to their original dream.

Those that do focus on the end goal, much more often than not, do achieve what they want, and much more besides.

In summary then, in order to achieve a high level of personal productivity and effective time management, you should start putting into practise what you have read above. And lastly, set yourself small, medium and large milestones, or goals, by which time you want to have achieved a certain part of the jigsaw puzzle that makes up your overall goal.

Bio

Dez Futak is an online business trainer, and owner of Magnetic Marketing Ltd, an online marketing agency using social media and video marketing for individuals and businesses.

Visit Dez Futak's website now if your business is looking for a bespoke yet cost-effective solution to online marketing or training.

(This article first appeared here: The Seven Secrets To Effective Time Management And Productivity)